Weather and Traffic

Hilton Head village reminiscent of Nantucket, Kennebunkport

A cold wind sent whitecaps across Calibogue Sound to the docks of South Beach Marina Village, a collection of clapboard, tin-roofed buildings that hug the shore. Fishing boats tugged at dock lines and blue-and-white striped awnings flapped in the wind.

Outside the Salty Dog Cafe, a half-dozen people warmed up with Buds and SweetWater 420s next to a blazing fire pit. Inside, the cafe’s menu offered comfort food for a February night — seafood pot pie and “Jake’s Low-Country Boil,” a feast of steaming shrimp, snow crab, andouille sausage, red potatoes and corn on the cob with Old Bay butter.

South Beach Marina Village, a lovely little seaside community reminiscent of Nantucket and Kennebunkport, is tucked away on the southernmost tip of the island in Sea Pines Resort out of sight of the rest of Hilton Head. Many people on the island, a real estate agent told me, have never made the 3.7-mile drive from Harbour Town, the heart of Sea Pines, to the village.

Guests at Sea Pines generally come here to play golf at the resort’s three prestigious courses: Harbour Town Golf Links, longtime home to the famed PGA Tour tournament The Heritage (the course reopened in September 2015 after improvements); Heron Point, designed by Pete Dye; and the dramatic Ocean Course, which is under construction and expected to re-open in the fall.

In South Beach Village, there’s not a fairway in sight, although South Beach guests and residents are welcome to use Sea Pines’ courses, which are public.

Bucolic marshes

The attractions in South Beach are the bucolic marshes lining Braddock Cove, a usually tranquil inlet off Calibogue Sound. People here like to kayak, sail, fish from shore, go deep-sea fishing and explore the cove by paddleboard.

I walked the sandy beach, watched the tide come in, and spotted a couple of wood storks, their long necks outstretched and wings spanning 5 feet in slow-motion glides over the water.

Hilton Head Island had not been on my agenda when I was driving south from Charleston, S.C., two weeks ago, and certainly winter was not the optimum time for a beach vacation.

But this was one of those times when a quick, uninformed decision turned out just fine. I had been to Harbour Town previously, but my decision to visit South Beach Village was based solely on a picture I had seen of the place.

I took the Hilton Head exit off Interstate 95, and called South Beach Inn from my car. The one-bedroom suite was only $108, about the price of an interstate chain hotel, and my expectations were low.

So I was more than a little surprised, and delighted, at the tidy room with nautical-patterned slipcovered sofa and chair, fresh flowers on an antique table and red geraniums growing in a flower pot on an antique chest in the bedroom. A balcony overlooked a courtyard. A small kitchen and modern bath made me wish I could stay longer. I regretted not booking one of the loft suites with a water view, which was only $152 ($196 in peak summer).

South Beach Inn is actually a collection of 17 suites on second floors above shops that line a boardwalk. It is South Beach’s version of New Urbanism. The village includes four excellent restaurants — The Salty Dog, Jake’s Pizza, Land’s End Tavern and the Wreck of the Salty Dog — a tackle shop, the General Store, an ice cream place and a half-dozen shops.

South Beach also includes waterfront duplexes and low-level condos, many of which can be rented. The towering pines, moss-draped live oaks and palm trees make the buildings seem less like a modern development and more like a low-key beach community.

Docking

I started my day at Land’s End for breakfast with a view of the cove. The waiter told me there’s often an hour-long wait in summer when the inn and condos are packed and the docks are lined with small boats from the mainland. The South Beach Marina can only accommodate vessels up to 30 feet. Bigger boats, including huge yachts, go to the nearby Harbour Town Yacht Basin.

The candy cane-striped Harbour Town Lighthouse, the iconic symbol of golf tournaments at Sea Pines Resort, can be seen from South Beach’s white-sand beach.

I congratulated myself on my impromptu visit. I’ll definitely come back to this little village with clapboard buildings painted white, coral and an ebullient shade of indigo, once grown on South Carolina’s plantations.

South Beach Village is for those who love the water, and the solitude and tranquility, especially in the winter.

DETAILS

* South Beach Inn: Nightly rates range from $75 to $196 per night depending on season and suite. Peak season is March 19 through April 22 and May 21 through August 12 this year. One- to five-bedroom villas in South Beach are also available through the inn’s rental office. 800-367-3909; www.sbinn.com

* South Beach Marina: The marina can only accommodate vessels up to 30 feet long. 843-671-6699

* Sea Pines Resort: Family and golf packages are available. The four-diamond Inn and Club at Harbour Town has 60 luxury rooms. For villa rentals and inn reservations: 866-561-8802; www.seapines.com.

Popular in Travel

1

2

3

Reader Comments
...

Next Up in

Palm Beach Day Academy’s incoming interim head of school was welcomed at a reception hosted by the school for its parents and community members. SHINY SHOTS: Palm Beach Day Academy welcome reception The event, which took place May 14 at the Upper Campus on Seaview Avenue, introduced Billy Peebles, who starts his new role at Florida’s first...

Chefs from Café Boulud and Eau Palm Beach Resort are part of a cooking brigade set to prepare an “ultimate” brunch this weekend in honor of an area farming-community leader and mentor. Rick Mace, Café Boulud’s executive chef, and Manlee Siu, chef de cuisine at Eau’s Angle restaurant, are participating Sunday in...

The wedding of weddings of 2018 is now a memory, and I think America on Saturday made a lovely contribution to the English Royal family in the former Meghan Markle. And as a decorator, I have to wonder what Prince Harry and his bride will do, design-wise, in their home, reported to be Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace. A mix of...

Leave it to a quintet of Canadians to steal the show from the Crowned Heads of Europe. The Mulroney Five — 7-year-old twins Brian and John, their angelic 4-year-old sis Ivy and their strikingly attractive parents Jessica and Ben — were up front at the wedding Saturday of the now-Duke and Duchess of Sussex. “They did so well,&rdquo...